Monday, 24 November 2014

Yesterday evening I went to see the local Starling murmuration. This is the first large flockI've seen since the early 1980s when they used to perform at Queen's Gardens in Hull. Allegedly as many as 180,000 have been counted, but this figure seemed a bit high on my visit. Although we saw a few Starlings in the village there were none on site for over an hour. We heard at least 4 Water Rails, and heard Bearded Tits, but failed to see one. We saw several Marsh Harriers, and our former GP pointed out a perched Peregrine Falcon. a Heron or two flew slowly past, and 2 separate flocks of a dozen Whooper Swans flew in an easterly direction. Golden Plovers and Lapwings were also in evidence.

One of the Smaller Early Flocks

Nothing happened for a long time, but about 3.45 we noticed our first small flock of maybe a dozen individuals, then more and more flocks were seen until a very large flock began to form, and then to pulse and change shape. The altering shapes are welldocumented, but what isn't so well known are the accompanying noises. These included the swish of the wings as they fly immediately overhead, the distant whoosh as they all suddenly change direction, and then the very loud chatter as they 'talk' in the reedbed. Unfortunately, the whole spectacle probably lasted less than 20 minutes, but if you are lucky the event may last much longer. However, be warned - on some evenings the Starlings fail to put on a show at all!

Friday, 21 November 2014

Yesterday, we had our final day over the Humber Bridge, and despite the gloomy conditions people didn't leave disappointed. The bearded Tits were too far away to be photographed, but I was able to take record shots of nearly everything else.

Spring /Summer Term

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2018 Wildlife Calendar

Now available for £9.25 (incl p & p) UK only. Discover where & when to see specific species. Nearly 300 lines of info & suggestions

Spring Course Details

Bookings for the 10-week Spring term has started. At the time of writing there are a couple of vacancies on Thursday afternoons, followed by Wednesday afternoons and Friday afternoons. I'm afraid I cannot take any more bookings on the Tuesday morning or Friday morning sessions. If you are interested in another session, please ask. For at least 2 hours a week encounter the natural world as a completely new sensual experience. You'll be amazed what you'll find just by listening, and not only by looking! In the Spring we'll be paying special attention to birdsong. If you want help sorting out your Sedge Warblers from your Reed Warblers, and pointing out the differences between singing Blackcaps and Garden Warblers then this is the place to be. We are going to locations where you will hopefully see, and not just hear Cuckoos. We are also planning to visit sites with Turtle Doves, Redstarts and other special summer visitors. So, if you are interested in learning more about your local wildlife in beautiful and secluded venues for less than £10 a week, then this is the course for you! We visit a different local hotspot each week and identify all the birds and as much other wildlife as we can. This also includes mammals, and fungi with butterflies, and dragonflies. The course runs twice daily Tuesday to Friday. If you are interested in more details of the course, or wish to be placed on a waiting list, please leave a comment next to one of my posts or email me on mflowers81@live.co.uk

Tolkien Tours of East Yorkshire

Read about the first enjoyable & successful EY Tolkien tour

Award-winning Blogpost

Click on photo for winner of Tolkien Society Best Article 2014

Tolkien's Ghostly Presence

Read about Tolkien's connections with the local area

Tolkien in East Yorkshire 1

Introduction & Hornsea

Tolkien in East Yorkshire 2

Roos (& Halsham)

Tolkien in East Yorkshire 3

Thirtle Bridge & Withernsea

Tolkien in East Yorkshire 4

Hospitals: Brooklands & Kilnsea

Tolkien in East Yorkshire 5

Spurn Point & Easington

Conservation Groups

I recommend that anyone interested in wildlife in East Yorkshire should become a member of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, Butterfly conservation (Yorkshire) & Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.